Tourist for a day in Delft

After Rotterdam, Leiden, and The Hague, I found the time to be a tourist for a day in Delft too. In 2015, Delft got a new station building and I haven't seen it in person yet. I like how modern and futuristic it looks. In the very back, you can catch a glimpse of the windmill, de Delftse Molen de Roos.
 




It is nice that they kept the old train station, as it looks very pretty and it is a piece of history that should not be demolished. It is pretty cool to see the old and new train station building, right next to each other.       
 

 Saturday market in Delft

Every Saturday, there is a market on the Brabantse Turfmarkt and de Burgwal with around 50 market stalls from 9:00-17:00. It is about a 15-20 minute walk from the station, but it is an interesting walk towards it, as you cross bridges and canals that are similar to Amsterdam. Make sure to wear good walking shoes as the uneven stones on the ground can hurt your feet. I know, because I made the mistake of wearing flimsy slippers. Also, don't forget to get a stroopwafel at the market stall that you can see underneath. A stroopwafel is a traditional Dutch treat, which is a thin and crunchy waffle with a sticky syrup in between. My uncle from China loves it, so I always bring them along as souvenirs, whenever I visit China. 

What I also did in Delft

I got ice cream at Jans Delft ice cream parlor

I went  shopping at Ikea Delft

I had dinner at Ikea Delft 

 Personal story

Although this city is really close to where I live, I have never really went there, besides the occasional visit to the IKEA. It is pretty strange if you consider that I once planned to study at the technical university in Delft. I wanted to start a new life in a city which was far away enough to avoid meeting my bullies and close enough to still go home once in a while. In the end, I stayed in my home town, because something bad happened and I needed to be close to my family. I also felt that one day, they might feel remorseful and find out that I am actually a good girl and return the most important thing in my life that they had taken from me. They can't do that, when they can't find me. But I think I was too naive. Why would people who are so blinded by hatred and who can only see their own pain, and use that as a justification to harm others and view your angry reaction as affirmation that you are an evil person, who needs to be punished, suddenly change their mind and be kind? I think it is about time for me to really give up and let go, even though it breaks my heart every time I think about it. For a long time, I thought that I didn't deserved to be happy, when others might be suffering because of me. Even though, I was too young and not strong enough to change a thing and it is not my fault, I carried the blame for years. When I found out that my bullies had broken the arm of a boy in my class just because he was friends with me and when they had beaten up a girl and her little sister, just because we had a fight in class and it was easy to blame that on me, I just decided not to interact with anyone anymore. That was the only way to keep my classmates safe. I wasn't really able to act normal anyway due to the trauma that I experienced as a kid, so it was for the better. I also thought that giving up on happiness could somehow transfer that to someone else who did need or deserved it. I now realize how stupid that is. Blaming myself and be sad all the time, helps no one. I cannot change what happened in the past and although I cannot help the child that I once was, I can become the trustworthy adult, that I wanted help from, myself and help others.